Ramakant Achrekar, the man who gave us Sachin Tendulkar, passes away

New Delhi: Dronacharya awardee cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar, who is credited with shaping the early career of Sachin Tendulkar, died on Wednesday.

He was 87 years old and a family member told news agency PTI that he passed away owing to old-age related ailments.

"He (Archrekar Sir) is no more with us. He passed away this evening," his kin Rashmi Dalvi told PTI over phone.

Best known for being the childhood coach of Tendulkar, who has always acknowledged him as his mentor, Achrekar was also a Padmashri awardee.

Besides Tendulkar, he also coached some prominent players in Vinod Kambli, Pravin Amre, Sameer Dighe and Balwinder Singh Sandhu.

Condolences to his family and loved ones on the passing away of #RamakantAchrekar sir, who shaped and gave us a gift called Sachin Tendulkar ! pic.twitter.com/S7LIhNV4rh

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 2, 2019

With PTI inputs